Thursday, February 20, 2014

Life of a Blogger: Favorite Movies and Non-Bookish Hobbies

This is a great new weekly meme created by Jessi!


Favorite Movies!

What I call "The Big Three" 

1.
Release Date: 1999
Favorite movie of all time, right here.  I was eight years old when this came out and it has been my 'go to' movie ever since.  I seriously watch it at least twice a month.  Is that weird?  A little bit?  I don't care.  I went through SO many VHS tapes because I watched it so much that they would break.  Haha.  I will always love this movie.  And plus, I always had a thing for Brendan Fraser.  :)

2.
Release Date: 1990
This movie came out a year before I was born and I probably started watching it around the same time as The Mummy.  Another all time favorite.  It's really corny and sometimes unintentionally hilarious but I love it.  It was terrifying when I was younger, but now I watch it to make me feel better haha.  And again, Kevin Bacon is a plus.

3.
Release Date: 1996
I have a very strange fascination with weather and tornadoes in general.  They scare the shit out of me but I love them at the same time.  So I was about five years old at the time this was released and I know that I didn't see it in theaters but I'm sure I saw it within the next two or three years. And now here we are, I'm almost twenty three years old and I still love it.  Also, I literally cried when I found out that Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who played Dusty, died.  He was my favorite in this movie and he will always be Dusty to me.



Release Date: 1998
Within the last five or so years this has become a favorite of mine.  It is so real and heartbreaking and beautiful.  I just love everything about it.  I want my own Prince Henry.  *SWOON*


Release Date:  2010
I'm so mad at myself that I didn't get to see this in the theaters.  I really don't know why I didn't and it makes me really sad because this is now my favorite Disney movie.  I love everything in this movie.  The soundtrack is amazing, the animation is stunning.  It's just perfect. And is it weird to have a crush on an animated character?  Cause I just love Eugene AKA Flynn Rider.


Release Date:  2005
Oh Mr. Darcy.  How I love you so.  I just watched this movie, I think, last year and absolutely fell in love.  I became obsessed.  It made me read the book and fell in love with that as well.  Ugh, this movie is perfection, I love it so much.  And I love Matthew Macfadyen as Mr. Darcy.  His eyes are just so freaking blue and his voice.  *More swooning*  I have no words. 


Honorable Mentions
All the Harry Potter movies
Titanic
Finding Nemo
Keith
A Walk to Remember
Halloweentown
The Halloween Tree



Non-Bookish Hobbies
1.  Listening to music- Is this really a hobby though?  More like an interest, I guess.  But I will always have music on.  If I'm going on a car ride, I'll have my earbuds in (and a book in my hands).  If I'm playing a game on the computer or on my iPad, music will be on.  I cannot be in complete silence.

2.  Crafty things- I'm not too crafty, but I do know how to crochet and I can kind of figure out a sewing machine.  But I'm kind of ADD about it.  I'll start a project and then half way through I'll find something else to do.  Haha.

3.  Antiquing-  I LOVE antiques!  My mom and I go to different antique stores from time to time and I'll totally blow like all my money on stuff I'll find there.  Old photos, skeleton keys, you name it.  I have a small collection of some awesome finds.  A Victorian curling iron that belonged to a child.  A child's shoe that looks like it could be from the late 1800's to early 1900's.  A pair of those opera binoculars.

Here are pictures of some of my finds




 (This is the child's curling iron)






 




4.  Movies and TV-  I love just finding new things to watch.  Whether it be old or new.  And I love learning different facts about them as well.  Or the individual actors.  I make a habit of learning all I can before I go see a movie in the theater or if I find a movie on Netflix to watch then I always go to IMDb to look up the actors and the trivia of the movie or show.

5.  Roller coasters-  Best things in the world.  I love them.  My family and I actually went on a 'roller coaster vacation' a few years ago.  We went to so many amusements parks in the span of like two weeks.  It was great.  My dad and I love the coasters while my mom will wave at us from down below haha.


Well, I hope you enjoyed this little snippet into my life.  Come back next Thursday and I'll tell you about my Celebrity Crushes and my Favorite Genres of Music!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Review: The Convenience of Lies by Kimberly Castillo

19377882 

“It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong. All that matters is if you can. If you can do something, what difference does it make?"

Based on a true story, The Convenience of Lies is a novel that keeps readers up past midnight with its story of friendship, mystery, crime, sex, and betrayal. Set in a suburban town, this story is told through the eyes of a high school junior, Mackenzie, who describes her crush on a "bad boy," Ramon and her relationship with her best friend, Kira. During the course of the story, Mackenzie does her best to attract the affections of Ramon while her friendship with Kira evolves. Eventually, the different characters' property starts getting vandalized and a mystery develops as Mackenzie and Kira try to get to the bottom of who is behind the vandalism. 

Description taken from Goodreads 


My Review
 
Oh, boy this book.  I hate to say this but I barely made it to the halfway mark.  I really tried but I just couldn’t get through a page without cringing.  I really wanted to like this book.  I really did, but it was just not for me.

Let’s start out with the positives.  It has a great premise, which made me want to review it.  A coming of age story, some teen angst, friendship and throw a mystery into the mix and you’ve got the makings of what could be a great book.  Right off the bat, from the first page, I was hooked.  It was interesting, I loved how it was part of an email and you were forced to read the rest of the book to kind of understand what was going on.  What the purpose of the email was.  I also love how it’s a short read.  It’s not even two hundred pages, so if you’re looking for a short contemporary read to kind of ‘cleanse your pallet’ of all the supernatural, fantasy or dystopian books you read, then this would be a good book to read.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few things wrong with The Convenience of Lies.  The main character, Mackenzie, was just so unlikable.  I had absolutely no sympathy for her.  She was naïve, whiny, a complete pushover and extremely clingy.  I love my female protagonists strong, intelligent, strong willed, and independent.  All I could get out of Mackenzie was that she wanted a boyfriend and she would do anything to get this one boy, Ramon, who only likes her as a friend.  She was just so infuriating.  I couldn't even understand why she had a crush on Ramon, there was absolutely nothing special about him and the both of them had no chemistry whatsoever.  It was not believable at all.  On top of that, the writing was just not attractive.  It was juvenile and had way too much ‘telling’ instead of ‘showing’.  Each time a new character was introduced; there would be a paragraph about what they looked like.  It was just very bulky and not pleasing. In my opinion, description should be spread out.  Don’t make it look like you’re filling out a profile on a dating website.  The dialogue was choppy and uncomfortable to read.  I realize that this novel is based on a true story but this is just not how teenagers act, it was too over the top and exaggerated.  And some of the things they said.  Completely ridiculous and cringe worthy.

It’s really too bad that I didn’t enjoy this book.  It really could have been a great read.  It was definitely a great effort, especially for a debut novel, but it’s really nothing spectacular.

So, if you enjoy short contemporaries, a bit of mystery, and coming of age novels, then pick up The Convenience of Lies.  Maybe you’ll enjoy it more I did.


Did Not Finish

Thank you to Kim who provided me with copy in which to review.  This did not affect my opinion of it.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Life of a Blogger: Career and Favorite TV Shows

This is a great new weekly meme hosted by Jessi!



Career

Well, that's kind of difficult to explain right now.  I am extremely undecided about I want to do with the rest of my life.  For such a long time I planned on being a Teacher but I figured out that that was just because everyone around me kind of expected me to be a teacher, so I just went with it.  But honestly, I finally 'woke up' and realized that I needed to take my life into my own hands so I decided on Social Work.  I really love kids and I love helping people so I figured if teaching wasn't for me then maybe I could handle adoption or something like that.  That was my goal for a long time, and after I graduated college I planned on transferring after a year off to a four year college to major in Social Work.  But here we are in February, me having graduated in May and I've changed my mind again.  I finally found out what I want to do with my life.  I have found that line of work that actually gets me excited about wanting to go back to school, hopefully in the fall, and if you know me then you know that that is so freaking shocking. Speech Pathology is my calling.  So, that's it for now.  Hopefully.  :)


Favorite TV Shows

Favorite Season:  1-10  haha.  If I had to pick one, it would probably be the first season.
Favorite Episode:  The One with the Two Parties

Seriously, the best show ever.  Ask me any question about Friends and I'll have an answer.  I can quote pretty much every episode.   This is a show that never gets old.  If I'm having a bad day, I know that I can watch an episode and I'll automatically feel better.  Friends isn't just a TV show to me anymore.  It's family, as sad as that sounds.  You know that feeling when you wrap yourself in a blanket on a cold day?  Or when you get to hug a loved one after not seeing them for a while?  That's the feeling I get when I watch Friends.


Favorite Season: Definitely the first
Favorite Episode: Evey Night is Another Story

I started watching One Tree Hill a tad late.  I think I started from season one when it was on season five.  But I immediately fell in love with the show.  It had such a strong balance of teen angst and comedy.  I loved it.  And was so sad when it ended at season nine.  I had grown to love the characters and the relationships.  One word people.  One word.  Naley.  The perfect ship.


Favorite Season: Three
Favorite Episode: Stolen Kisses

This is another show that I started late in the game.  I mean I was only seven years old when it started, but I think I eventually started watching it when I was in middle school.  So, probably around 2003-04.  Dawson's Creek has become that security blanket as well.  Just like Friends, but in a different way.  Friends I go to laugh and feel nostalgia.  This show, however, is also for nostalgia but I feel like I learn some things every time I watch an episode haha.  Yes, the dialogue might be cheesy and kind of advanced for a fifteen year old.  (That's how old the characters were in the first season, and they're using words like 'diatribe'.)  But, I mean, the characters are so real and believable and I could easily relate to them.  Just a great show.  


Favorite Season: Two
Favorite Episode:  Killed by Death

I guess I'm all about nostalgia, haha.  I started Buffy at a very young age.  My mom and I used to watch it together all the time.  And when I was home sick from school, I would marathon Buffy instead of watching Price is Right like normal kids.  I seriously cried when it ended.  I still miss it, but I watch it from time to time on Netflix.


Honorable Mentions:
Gilmore Girls
Greys Anatomy
Teen Wolf  (STILES! :D)
Angel (Spin off of Buffy)
Boy Meets World



Well, I hope you enjoyed this little snippet into my life.  Come back next Thursday and I'll tell you about my Favorite Movies and my Non-Bookish Hobbies!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Life of a Blogger: Favorite Bands and Pets

I'm a little late to the game here but I think it's a great idea.  So, thank you Jessi for getting this started! 

Since this has already started and I missed a lot of awesome topics, I think I'm just going to post two every Thursday until I'm all caught up.  Does that sound good?  Ok.

So, here we go:

Favorite Bands

Sleeping With Sirens
Favorite Album:  With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear 
Favorite Song: Let's Cheers to This

This band totally snuck up on me within the last year and a half or so.  I absolutely love them, their lyrics mean so much to me and they are so real.  Honestly, they are the only band that can constantly give me chills every time I hear their music.  Literal chills people.  You can't fake that.  And I've had the privilege of seeing them on tour twice.  Once when they played Warped Tour and then just this past November.

Paramore
 Favorite Album:  All We Know is Falling
Favorite Song(s):  My Heart / Let the Flames Begin (Live)

Paramore and I go waaaaay back.  Like 2005ish.  I remember first seeing them on a show called Steven's Untitled Rock Show that used to play on FUSE.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when I fell in love.  I found out that they were around my age.  So I could really relate to them.  Hayley's voice is just amazing, and Josh was awesome at the guitar and screaming.  But unfortunately, two of the band members left a few years ago and Paramore has not been the same since.  It really did break my heart because I really loved them and had seen them in concert many many times.  But I will always have the first three albums to remember them by.


Matchbox Twenty
Favorite Album: Yourself or Someone Like You
Favorite Song:  Bent

Matchbox Twenty and I go even further back.  Like mid-90s.  I remember going downstairs on Saturday mornings with my sister and my dad and we would watch Vh1 to see if any of their songs made it onto the Top 20 Countdown.  Nostalgia at it's best people.  I've seen them as well as Rob Thomas so many times in concert that I've lost count.


Honorable Mentions:
Goo Goo Dolls
New Found Glory
We the Kings
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
All American Rejects


Pets

I have had many pets through out my childhood and adult life.  I had a Golden Retriever named Hartford (don't ask) when I was about five but passed away when I was in sixth grade.  At the same time we had a cat name Figaro (my sister named him after the cat in Pinocchio) and I'm not sure when we got him, he was just always there haha.  But he died about two years after Hartford died.  They were best buddies.  We then got another dog, named Phoebe.  I named her :)  And unfortunately, she passed away when I was I think a sophomore in high school.

And now, we have this little guy.  His name is Tucker, and we've had him for about seven years now.  He is adorable and loud and has quite the personality.


I think this picture was taken a few years ago.  


So that's it for this week!  Tune in next Thursday to learn about my career and my favorite TV shows!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Believe by S.F Malik

Release Date: November 25, 2013

Synopsis:
 They are the most brutal Empire we have known for generations. I am a seventeen year old slave boy, who must endure a life of servitude and sacrifice to keep my family alive. They took away my mother, my sister, my friends, everything I have cared for including my love. I inadvertently struck out and my actions started a chain reaction which led to war and a full scale rebellion. They have sent two armies to crush our resistance. I have an army of 300 maltreated slave children. They have an army of 5000 battle hardened men. I have hijacked an armoured State train. They have a limitless arsenal of the most sophisticated weapons on the face of the earth. I have promised my army of slave children to get them to freedom or die trying. They have vowed to kill every single slave child and have promised to handsomely reward the one who brings my head. I have made a pledge to my younger sister and will cheat death as many times as it takes to fulfil it. They are planning victory celebrations as a foregone conclusion, and have ordered ingeniously gruesome deaths for my soldiers and our families. What they don't know is . . . we have a stolen nuclear warhead in our possession and we intend to deliver it to the Emperor's doorstep.  


Excerpt 

“My hate strengthens my resolve, and helps me remember exactly who I am... a believer. And I would spurn this limitless wealth built upon the blood of my people. I would rather die penniless in the arms of my Joseph, than live as a queen haunted by guilt and shame.”


About the Author
 I grew up and went to school in the historic city of Nottingham, where the legend of Sherwood Forest and Robin Hood enchanted a young boy's imagination. Encouraged by remarkable teachers I fell in love with writing stories. Growing up I did a variety of jobs all of which were rewarding, but it was my love for writing that won in the end. I now live in London and write to my heart's content. I sincerely hope my books can provide joy for my readers and most of all inspire more people to write! And keep the magic alive. 

 Description, cover, and author bio taken from Amazon 

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Long Time No Talk!

 teen wolf gif photo: stiles funny gif stilessilly.gif


So, it's definitely been awhile since I last posted anything.  And to be honest, there is no good excuse BUT I am going to give you a few reasons as to why I have been gone and haven't really been up to posting. 

Number 1 is that I have seriously been in a major reading slump.  It's seriously lasted months and I think that I have only read about five books.  That's just sad.  But, thankfully, I'm starting to get back into my groove.  I have a few reviews lined up, as well as some promos and a tour. 

Number 2 is that my family and I have had a few health scares and that all happened around Christmas time so it was all very stressful and scary, but things are finally getting back to normal.

And number 3, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my future lately, scary, I know.  I've already graduated from college back in May with an associates degree in General Studies with an intent on someday furthering my education to possibly become a social worker.  Well, I believe that that time has come but I think that the career goal has changed.  So, for the past few months I've been going back and forth wondering if this is the right time and if this is really what I want to do.  I still have a few more things to work through, but hopefully I'll be back in school for the fall semester.  Fingers crossed.

 fingers crossed photo:  tumblr_ll9a1xNttH1qafrh6.gif

So, like I said there's really no excuse for being gone this long but if there were then those three things were the main ones.  I really hope that I still have some readers and that I might gain some new ones.